Seahawks finally get their title

Finally, after 38 years, it all came together for the Seattle Seahawks, as the team won its first Super Bowl.

It did so in surprisingly dominant fashion, beating Denver 43-8 in East Rutherford, N.J., capping a season in which the Seahawks won 16 of 19 games overall, including the playoffs.

Not that any of it was necessarily unexpected.

Seattle entered the season with high expectations following a fast finish to 2012 and the return of most of its youthful core.

The Seahawks didn't disappoint, routing San Francisco 29-3 in an early-season test of NFC supremacy en route to an 11-1 start that just about wrapped up the NFC West and home field through the playoffs.

Then came the only real stumble as Seattle lost two of three against NFC West foes San Francisco and Arizona.

That compelled Seattle to have to win its regular-season finale against the Rams at home to clinch the West and home field. Seattle did so, 27-9, and then knocked off New Orleans 23-15 in the divisional playoffs to set up a titanic NFC title showdown against the 49ers in Seattle.

In a game as intense as any in Seahawks history, Seattle hung on to win 23-17 when cornerback Richard Sherman famously tipped a Colin Kaepernick pass into the hands of teammate Malcolm Smith in the end zone to seal the victory.

The Super Bowl almost seemed anticlimactic as Seattle dominated from the start.

"We peaked at the right time," said linebacker Bobby Wagner of the dominant Super Bowl performance.

Indeed Seattle did, especially a defense that led the NFL in fewest points and passing yards allowed as well as turnover margin, the first team to accomplish that feat since the 1985 Chicago Bears.

Now the task for the Seahawks will be to try to do it again.

With most of the key players under contract for 2014, however, and a still favorable salary-cap situation, there's little reason the Seahawks won't again be contenders, if not considered the favorites, for the Super Bowl in 2015 in Glendale, Ariz.

Seattle has a young, franchise quarterback in Russell Wilson, could get a full year out of Percy Harvin in 2014, and despite what figure to be a few personnel changes up front, a defense that could again be the best in the NFL.

"We are the best in the world right now," defensive end Cliff Avril said.

Finally.

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NFL Team Report - Seattle Seahawks - NOTES, QUOTES

--Defensive end Michael Bennett will become a free agent in March after playing on a one-year, $5 million deal this past season. Bennett told SiriusXM NFL Radio he wouldn't be willing to accept another similar contract for 2014.

"That would be taking a pay cut, to me," Bennett said. "I had to prove myself as a player in back-to-back years. Basically, I took a one year deal the year before, did a first-round tender in Tampa (as a restricted free agent), so I definitely just want to be paid. You know, I'm not trying to be the highest-paid guy but I want to be compensated with the top guys."

--Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said the defense knew which plays the Denver Broncos would run before they happened in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Sherman told mmqb.com that the defense figured out Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning's hand signals during the Seahawks' 43-8 victory on Sunday night in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

"We knew what route concepts they liked on different downs, so we jumped all the routes. Then we figured out the hand signals for a few of the route audibles in the first half," Sherman said. "If Peyton had thrown in some double moves, if he had gone out of character, we could've been exposed."

Manning threw two interceptions and completed 34 of 49 passes for 280 yards against Seattle's stout defense. Denver was held scoreless until the end of the third quarter.

The Seahawks also said reading Manning's eye movements tipped them off to what was coming.

"We were able to jump a few routes," Chancellor said. "Just see everything that develops in front of you, playing off of Peyton's eyes. He takes you right to the ball every time. He's a great quarterback, but he definitely has tendencies and he takes you to the ball."

Broncos coach John Fox was asked if he thought the Seahawks' defensive backs knew what was coming.

"You know, it looked like it," he said. "But I think it's more that they're very good players. I don't know that there are any mystery things. You'd have to ask him. But they're a good football team. And I think it was more about them executing and playing very well than any other stuff."

Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway also chose to steer credit toward the Seahawks.